Improvement in reversible latches



To all whom 'it m/y comern Y 5mm @man Meeeaee-M @time fm W. T. MUN-GER,or BRANFCRD, AssIGNoR. To P. AND F. CCRBIN, oF

' NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT,

l Letters-Patent No. 85,753, dated January 12, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making of the same.

Be it known that I, W. T. MUNGER, of Branford, in the county of NewHaven, and" State of Connecticut, have invented and made a certainnewand useful Improvement in Locks; and I do here by declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the said invention,reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of thisspecification, wherein- Figurel is' an' elevatron of the lock,'wth"thecap# plate removed, and the parts in the usual position;

Figure 2 is a similar View, with the parts in lsuch a positionl that'thelatch can be reversed; and

Figure 3 is a vertical section at the line :c x.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

. Locks have heretofore been made with reversible latches operated by ahandle acting through ahnb and horse-shoe slide. A

My inventionrelates to that class of looks that are provided with. asliding latch, operated' upon directly.

by a knob that is drawn back.

My improvement in locks consists in a reversible latch, combined with aslide and a knob, that may be connected with that slide from either sideof the lockcas'e. Thereby my lock is adaptedA to being placed on eitherright or left-hand doors.

In the drawinga is the box of the lock b, the cap-plate, removed infigs. l and 2; c is the front plate of the lock; all of any usualcharacter,and either adapted to being let into a mortise in the edge ofthe door, or screwed upon its surface. I have represented the formerstyle.

w d is the latch, formed with a shank, 2, passing at the rear end intothe slide e, in which it may be turned when the .parts are intheposition shown in iig. 2, to bring they bevel of the latch either waythat may be desired, the .round base 3 'of the latch dturning in thesquare mortise in the plate c.

The spring f, acting between the guide g and latch d, projects the sameand in the slide e-is a hole into which is screwed the withdrawing-knob,shank, or loop, h.

The hole in the slide c goes rightthrough, so that the knob h may bescrewed in from either side, and in the box cv of the lockemd thecap-plate 19, are mor-titres or slots, as at t', so that the knob orshank h may pass through the same into e, and the length ofthe mortise'i is such as to prevent the latch d being proj ected, as in fig. 2, (sothat it can be reversed,) except when the shank h is removed from theslide e.

The latch can be withdrawn by a key entered fromv either side into, thekey-holes 7c, and acting upon the tumbling lever l on' the fulcrum m,and 'n is a dog, upon the fulcrum o, that can be moved when thelatch isdrawn into the case, so as to hold the same by coming up against theforward end of the slide e.

When this lock is inserted in a mortise in the door,

an escutcheoniplate with a slot should be employed, as

seen Aat p, g. 3, for the shank of the knob to slide in.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The reversible latch d, connected to the slide e, in combination withthe lknob or shank h that screws into the slide e from either side, andpasses through one of the slots in the cap-plate or lock-case,substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature, this day of July,A. D. 1868.

Witnesses: W. T. MUNGER.

CHARLES PECK, I EDWD. L. PRIOR.

